Ignition device



April 26,1938, 5 L, H TLE 2,115,462

IGNITION DEVICE Filed June 5, 1955 4 ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 26, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IGNITION DEVICE Dalphin L. Hittle, Anderson,

Ind., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in ignition devices and more particularly to normally stationary contacts of the circuit interrupters of the devices.

It is the object of the present invention to provide the circuit interrupter of an ignition device with an adjustable stationary contact whereby the plane of the contacting surfaces of a pair of contacts are kept in a parallel relation in all degrees of separation between same. This is accomplished by moving the normally stationary contact in an arc concentric with the pivotal point of the oscillatable lever carrying the movable contact.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of an ignition timer having a single circuit interrupter embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a modified form of the normally stationary contact embodying the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a. sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of an ignition timer having two circuit interrupters embodying the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5.

Referring to Fig. 1, 20 designates an ignition timer housing enclosing a circuit breaker plate 2| having ears 22 by which the plate is secured within the housing by screws 23. The housing 20 incloses a centrally disposed driven cam 24 which operates upon a circuit breaker rubbing block 25, which, together with one end of a leaf spring conductor 26, is attached to a lever 21 carrying a contact 28 having a plane contact engaging surface engageable with a normally stationary contact 29 having a plane contact engaging surface adapted to be in a parallel relation with the contact surface of the contact 28.

50 The contact 29 is attached to an ear 36 extending angularly from the plane of a bar or plate 3|. The bar 3| is provided with a main portion 34 which is generally arcuate in form and is adapted to be secured in various positions of ad- 55 justment concentric to a pivot 35 for the lever 21. The portion 34 is provided with an arcuate slot 36 which is also concentric to the pivot 35.

The plate or support 2| is provided with an extrusion 31, or other suitable means, on which one end of a bracket 38 is anchored. The other end of the bracket. is deformed to provide an arcuate channel or an overhanging portion 39, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, to provide a guide for the bar 3|. The bracket 38 is held from rotating about the extrusion 31 by a binding screw 48 which passes through an aperture provided in a top wall 4|. of the channel 39. The aperture in the wall 4| is substantially the same dimension as the shank of the screw 46. The screw also passes through the arcuate slot 36 of the bar 3| 1;, and has threaded engagement with the plate 2|. When the bracket 38, bar 3| and the screw are assembled, as shown in Fig. 1 the groove or guide 39 of the bracket 38 will be concentric to the pivot 35. To adjust the bar 3|, a screwdriver 20 is applied to the screw 46 to loosen the same to permit the bar to slide within the groove 39. After the proper adjustment has been made to give the desired amount of contact separation effected by the cam 24 the screw driver is again applied to the screw 40 to tighten the same to hold the bar 3| and the contact 29 in a fixed position relative to the plate 2|.

It will be apparent that by adjusting of the bar 3|. within the groove 39, which is concentric 3G to the pivot 35, the planes of contacting surfaces of the contacts 28 and 29 are maintained in a parallel relation in all adjustments.

In the modified form of construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4, 50 designates an ignition timer 35 housing enclosing a circuit breaker plate 5| provided with ears 52 by which the plate 5| is secured to the interior of the timer housing 50 by screws 53. The plate 5| is provided with a central opening 54 to receive a hub 55 of a brack- .1;, et 56. The opening 54 forms ananchor for the bracket 56. The bracket 56 is also provided with an extension 51 which is deformed to provide an arcuate groove or channel 58 having a top wall 59 provided with an aperture. The purpose of the arcuate channel is to provide a guide for a bar 60, said bar comprising an arcuate portion 6| having an arcuate slot 62 and an ear 63 which extends angularly from the plane of the bar. The ear 63 supports a contact 29. The bracket 56 is held from rotating relative to the plate 5| by a binding screw 65 having a shank passing through the aperture in the top wall 59 of the channeled extension and through the arcuate slot 62 of the bar 60. The screw 65 has threaded enclamping and adjustment of the bars 8| gagement with the plate 5| and operates to clamp the bracket and the bar to the plate. The screw 85 also functions to position the bracket to the plate so that the groove will be concentric to a pivot 66 for a lever 21 carrying a contact 28. The adjustment of the bar 68 to change the space relation of the contacts 28 and 29 is similar to that described for the bar 34 shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 5, I0 designates an ignition timer housing inclosing two circuit interrupters mounted upon a plate or support provided with ears 12 which are attached by screws 13 to the housing 10. The housing is provided with a central opening 14 providing a bearing for a journal-fiange 15 integral with the circuit breaker adjusting plate 16 as described and claimed in the patent to John J. Fitzsimmons, No. 1,825,720. The plates II and 1B carry studs 11 and Ila respectively. Each stud supports a circuit breaker lever 21 in the manner shown in Fig. 1. The contact 28 of each lever cooperates with a contact 29 attached to cars 80 and 88a of bars 8| and am respectively. The bar 8| is slidably supported on the plate 16 while the bar 8| a is slidably supported on the plate I The bars 8| and Ski are moved about arcs concentric to their respective posts, 11 and 11a respectively. This is accomplished by similar brackets 85 and 85a. The brackets are provided at one end with an opening which fits over extrusions 8B and 86a formed on the plates 16 and II respectively so as to anchor the brackets 85 and 85a to their respective plates. As shown in Fig. 6 bracket 85 is provided with an annular flange |85 which interfits with the boss or extrusion 86 of plate 18. Thus rotation of the bracket 85 and of the bar 8| with respect to the screw 88 is restrained, and a single screw will serve to secure the bar 8| to the plate 18 in a desired position or adjustment. The other ends of the brackets 85 and 85a are deformed to form arcuate channels or grooves 8! and 81a respectively. When the brackets 85 and 8511 are attached to their respective plates, the channels of each bracket will be concentric with their respective pivot posts 11 and 11a. These channels 81 and 81a provide guideways for bars 8| and 8|a respectively. The brackets 85 and 85a are held from rotating relative to plates 16 and H respectively by binding screws 88 and 88a. The screw 88 passes through an aperture provided by the top wall of the channel 81 and also passes through an arcuate slot 88 of the bar. The screw 88 has threaded engagement with the plate 16 to clamp the bracket 85 and the bar 8| to the plate 16. In a similar manner the screw 88a passes through an top wall of the bracket 85a and an arcuate slot 89a provided by the bar 8|a. 'The screw 88a has threaded engagement with the plate I The and am is similar to that described for bar 34.

aperture provided by the In order to synchronize the operation of the two circuit breakers, the plate 18 is adjustable first by loosening screws 98 and 9| which pass through arcuate slots 92 and 93 provided by the plate 16 and then turning a screw driver slotted disc 95 having an eccentric shank 96 pivotally carried by the plate The disc 95 is received by a slot 91 provided by the plate 16 and located substantially radially with respect to a cam 98. After the proper adjustment has been made, the screws 98 and 9| are screwed into tapped holes provided for them by the plate H in order that the heads of these screws will clamp the plate 16 to the plate 1|.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In a circuit breaker construction, the corn-- bination of a plate, a post carried by the plate, a movable member pivotally supported upon the post and carrying a contact, an arcuate bar slidable directly upon the plate, and supporting a normally stationary contact, a bracket supported upon the plate but spaced from the post, said bracket having an arcuate channel formed therein and concentric to the post axis and said channel extending over the bar for guiding same in an arc to maintain the contact surfaces of the contacts in parallelism in all adjusted positions of the bar, a single screw passing through the bracket and bar and threadedly engaging the plate for clamping the bracket and bar to the plate, said bar having an elongated opening for receiving the screw, and coacting surfaces provided by the bracket and plate for preventing rotation of the bracket relative to said screw.

2. In a circuit breaker construction, the combination of a plate shaped to provide a cylindrical surface, a post carried by the plate, a movable member pivotally supported upon the post and carrying a contact, an arcuate bar slidab-le directly upon the plate and carrying a normally stationary contact, a bracket providing an annular flange fitting with the cylindrical surface of the plate and provided with an arcuate recess concentric to the post axis, said recess receiving the bar to guide same in an arc to keep the contact surfaces of the contacts in parallelism in adjusted positions of the bar, and a single screw passing through a round hole in the bracket and through an elongated hole in the bar and into a tapped hole in the plate for clamping the bracket and bar to the plate, the coaction between the cylindrical and annular surfaces of the plate and bracket serving to restrain rotation of the bracket and bar relative to the plate.

DALPHIN L. HIT'ILE. 

